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Sumit SinghalSumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

Parking garage Meksiko in Ljubljana, Slovenia by Darko Lečnik

The parking garage is located at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana. The project was commissioned by a company that builds residential and commercial buildings in Slovenia and prepares sites for the Hofer commercial network. A condition of the investor was that a classic HOFER supermarket had to be located on the ground floor in the standard form and dimensions of Hofer shops throughout Europe. The task was a very difficult one for designers, since the structural grid used in HOFER shops do not correspond to the grid required for the rational design of a parking garage.

Architecture designers from Aplan were given a helping hand in the form of an interesting design construction from structural engineer of the companies DREIBAU Ingénieurs Conseils SA from Switzerland and A Consulting Ltd. from Maribor. This system enabled the implementation of different structural grids on the floors thus solving the underlying problem of the compliance of the construction itself with the required dimensions for the parking spaces.

Exterior View (Images Courtesy Miran Kambič)

Another major problem regarding the shop was that it occupied most of the ground floor layout, so it was necessary to build a longer ramp leading from the ground floor directly to the first floor, which is as high as two normal parking garage stories.
The parking garage is located in the city centre, right next to the residential building MEKSIKO which is protected as a cultural heritage landmark. It was named after the meeting point of soldiers leaving Slovenia for Mexico to fight under Emperor Maximilian.

Exterior View (Images Courtesy Miran Kambič)

The design of the facility was the subject of a design competition that also included the site development plan, which provided two basic volumes for the building: the first is located on the main road and has a height corresponding to the neighbouring MEKSIKO building while the other which is taller is located behind it. Given that the garage floors are divided in half to shorten the ramps, a third altitude volume is next to the University Medical Centre. All three volumes of the building are visible and possess different designs. The one on Njegoševa Street has a different facade treatment: thin columns of perforated metal surround the first three floors and provide shade to the otherwise airy and open façade of the parking spaces. The other two higher volumes are clad in translucent aluminium net, relieving with its seeming fragility and unobtrusive colour, the aggressive impact of the buildings grandeur in terms of dimension.

Exterior View (Images Courtesy Miran Kambič)

Every parking floor has its own colour for easier orientation. Another advantage of the garage’s design is the use of a minimum number of design elements, making parking and orientation in the garage almost identical to those in the open parking spaces. All the floors possess natural light and ventilation except for the basement where artificial lighting is required 24 hours a day.